South Korea's Yoon back in court for impeachment hearing

 South Korea's ousted President Yoon Suk Yeol attended what could be his last impeachment hearing before judges decide whether to formally remove him from office over his martial law decree.

The former prosecutor has remained defiant throughout weeks of hearings at Seoul's Constitutional Court, blaming a "malicious" opposition for his December bid to suspend civilian rule.

The attempt only lasted six hours as the opposition-led parliament voted the declaration down, later impeaching him over his attempt to impose martial law.

Yoon was detained last month on insurrection charges, becoming the first sitting South Korean head of state to be arrested.

Thursday's hearing is set to hear evidence from the former chief of South Korea's intelligence service and one of the heads of Seoul's Capital Defence Command, the military unit dispatched to the parliament during the short-lived martial law bid.

It was widely expected - but not officially confirmed - to be Yoon's last before the judges go behind closed doors to deliberate upholding his impeachment.

Prosecutors said the "time was ripe" for the case to be decided and they would "humbly await the outcome of the impeachment trial".

But Yoon's lawyer Yoon Kap-keun told the hearing that the ousted president's trial "continues to be conducted in an unlawful and unfair manner".

His legal team also warned they would "make a serious decision" if that persists, though they did not specify what action would be taken.